Charcoal coloured cats and Cohen
by Opal Irises
Summary: The charcoal coloured cat just kept coming back. Night after night...The cat reminded her of Cohen. [SethSummer]


**In response to a fic challenge by Scaz (BabyTigerEyes) --I know it's late, I was going through my old documents and found this, so I finally finished it!**

**Dedicated --SCAZ! WHERE ARE YOU? I miss you! Come on MSN or send me an email. This story is for you :)**

**---**

The charcoal coloured cat just kept coming back. Night after night.

And on the lonely, cold nights, the black, scrawny cat was her only friend. It would mew on her windowsill and she would creep downstairs, grabbing the milk carton straight from the fridge and pouring it onto a saucer. Eventually, she learnt just to keep a saucer under her bed. The charcoal animal looked oddly at the milk the first time she had offered it, and she could tell it wasn't used to this kind of food. It's pink tongue darted in and out of it's mouth, lapping the milk, occasionally looking back conscientiously as Summer stared, transfixed at the small, vulnerable animal.

The first time it happened, she thought it was a one off. But the creature kept coming back. One night, as it sat her on her windowsill, licking its paws, she bravely reached out to pat its head. It jumped in alarm at the first stroke of her hand and scurried out the window. At the time, she didn't even know why, but that night, Summer cried herself to sleep.

The cat reminded her of Cohen.

This animal had no friends. Bullied, scrawny and alone. Summer had always favoured herself an independent. She wasn't like Marissa. She didn't need people to survive. She didn't drink herself into oblivion just because her boyfriend left with a pregnant Chino whore.

She moved onto someone else because her boyfriend had sailed away, and left her nothing more then a note.

The cat was a girl, and she named it Charcoal. She loved the cat. She knew she did. But whenever she moved to touch it, to reach out to it, she felt like she was putting her whole heart on the line, and when Charcoal pulled away from her shy touch, a small piece of her heart shattered. If the cycle continued, her heart would soon be nothing more then a million tiny shards, an old reflection. After it ran away, it didn't come back for a few days. What did it eat during those few days it parted from her windowsill? Did it move onto someone else? She doubted it, because whenever Charcoal came crawling back to her, she always looked skinner then before. The cat depended on her. Summer wanted more then dependence; she wanted Charcoal to love her, to trust her. She wanted the stray to let her pet her. Couldn't she see she meant her no harm?

Sometimes, the thin line that fell between Charcoal and Cohen became so transparent that when she was curled up under her blankets, crying herself to sleep, she wasn't sure whom she was crying over.

**---**

There was a knock at her door. Summer lay sprawled on her bed, staring out the open window, hopefully waiting for that faint meow she heard so often. Instead, there was only the thudding of hollow wood.

"Go away," she said softly. Her eyes didn't move from the window. She could hear the wind rustling the leaves from the tree, blowing a soft breeze into her face.

"Summer? It's me."

Cohen.

"What do you want, Cohen?" she asked loudly, momentarily forgetting about Charcoal.

"I just want…" Seth's voice faltered, and Summer's stomach dropped. _I just want you, _she thought to herself. Yeah, right. "I just want to come in," he continued. "Please? Are you dressed?" he asked, and she laughed, despite herself. She got off the bed and opened the door.

"Okay, Cohen, make it quick, I have better things to do."

"Better then me?" he joked, but stopped laughing at her face. "Okay, sorry."

"You're hilarious, Cohen." She said dryly. "Now, what do you want? Seriously, I'm waiting for…I'm waiting, Cohen."

"For?"

"What the hell do you care?"

"I care." Said Seth.

Summer sighed. "How did you even get in, Cohen?"

"Uh, your step monster." Said Seth, his face turning to a looking of confusion. "She opened the door, and I don't know what I look like, but she thought I was the plumber, and that I was going to unclog your kitchen drains. Then she pushed me upstairs and said I knew where to find it. Summer, isn't your kitchen downstairs?"

"Yeah, it is." Said Summer wearily. "Ignore her. She's had a dangerous mix of bourbon and about 3 different types of pills."

Seth smiled. "I just…I just wanted to see you, I guess. Just to talk to you." He added quickly, seeing Summer's facial expression change. "Cos we're…friends, yeah?"

Before Summer could say something – she wasn't sure if it was going to be "yes" or "I want to be more" – But she was interrupted by a small sound on the other side of the room. When she spun around, Charcoal was sitting on her windowsill, staring at the new boy in the room with curious delight mixed with suspicion. It then turned to Summer, it's look hopeful and pleading.

"Just a minute," said Summer softly. "Wait here," she said to Seth, and quickly skidded out to the hall, jumping down the stairs two at a time, landing with a thud on the ground floor, just because she could, just because the step monster was too drunk to notice. She slid across the tiled kitchen, throwing the fridge open and grabbing the carton of milk out, then turned and ran back up the stairs. She jumped back into her room, suddenly filled with energy, when she was greeted by the image of Seth, standing next to her window, holding out his finger to Charcoal.

"No!" she yelled suddenly, the milk carton dropping from her hands and spilling over the floor. Both Seth and Charcoal jumped, but surprisingly, the cat didn't move from the sill it perched itself on.

"What's wrong?" he asked, shocked. She bent down and picked up the milk carton, making sure it didn't make a larger puddle on the floor then it already had.

"Don't touch her," she said again, her voice softer. "She doesn't like being touched."

Seth was quiet for a second. And then he did something that she would never have expected him to. He reached out, and he held her arm, pulling her off the floor. "Here," he said softly. He led her over to where Charcoal still sat on the white windowpane. He had somehow manoeuvred it so that his arm was linked with hers, and she made no objection to change this. "Watch this," he whispered, his voice still quiet. Without letting go of her arm, he held out a finger on his spare hand, holding the finger still in the air. Charcoal didn't jump out the window and disappear into the night as Summer thought she would. She leaned forward slightly, inquisitively. She sniffed Seth's outstretched finger, and, with the slightest hesitation, ran her rough pink tongue over his skin. Seth smiled at her. "Now you try," Seth said.

She held out a shaking finger, holding her breath as she waited for Charcoal's reaction. Charcoal took one look at the finger and jumped out the window soon. Summer felt the hot tears building up behind her eyes, but she wouldn't let herself cry. Not for something as juvenile as this.

Summer drew in a deep, shuddering breath that echoed throughout the empty hollowed caves in her body, and wiped away the tears that were gathering at the corners of her eyes again. As her hand drew away from her face, she noticed the smudges on her fingers. She snorted, and faced Seth. "I bet I look awful." She said.

Seth smiled again. "You always look beautiful." He said, and she smiled. For some reason, the tears kept coming.

"Look at me," she said, sighing as she wiped away more tears and smudged more mascara. "I'm so pathetic. Crying over…" her eyes flickered towards the white puddle on the ground. "Well, crying over spilt milk!" she exclaimed, making a strange sound that was somewhere caught between a laugh and a sob.

Seth laughed softly. "Come on," he said, extending his hand to her. She took it and told herself that it was only a reflex--he offered, she accepted. There was nothing between them. And the shivers that made their way up and down her spine as his soft kiss brushed against hers? Imaginary.

He led her towards the bed, sat her down gently. "Okay…Okay," she said finally, taking a few deep breaths to balance out her short, jagged edged breathing. "I'm fine," she noticed that Seth was still watching her, a look of concern imprinted over his expression. "Seriously, Cohen. But…thanks," She smiled slightly, a weak, watery attempt at peace.

He half smiled back, before pausing. "Wait…" he said. He dropped her hand and moved from the bed, towards the window. She instantly redrew her hand, rubbing it against her jeans, as if she was trying to rub away the disgusting Seth Cohen mark, but she was really just trying to stop the shivers that weaved electric currents through her skin, on the surface and beneath.

She heard a faint mewing, and Seth's low voice, speaking words she couldn't entirely make out.

"Look, she's back," said Seth as he walked away from the window and sat back down on the bed, his arms cradling the charcoal coloured cat gently.

Summer froze--dare she touch the beautiful animal? Seth must have been able to sense her hesitation. "Come on, Summer," he whispered. "Let her know you're not afraid. Show her you love her,"

His head was dangerously close to hers now. The small, purring animal was the only barrier that lay between them, the only thing that stopped Seth's arm from grazing hers, but there was nothing in the small space between their lips, nothing but empty space, space that could easily be filled, if only she had the courage to move her head forward and press her mouth against his. If only she could show him she wasn't afraid. Show him that she loved him.

When she didn't move, he took her hand. She flinched as his gentle, steady hand once more took control of her movement, but he didn't stop. He moved her hand towards the cat's head, before letting go. Her arm hung in mid air, inches from Charcoal's head.

Her lips were only inches from Seth Cohen's lips. She could feel his warm breath pouring onto her.

And her hand moved. Her hand reached down for the cat's head. She froze as she felt the soft, silky fur beneath her fingers, and waited for Charcoal to jump away. She didn't, she remained still, pleasantly surprised at this hand that stroked her head gently. A small smile overcame Summer's lips. "Look…" she said softly.

"I see," said Seth. Their faces…they were so close together now, she could feel his lips pronounce the words. She could feel his own body heat radiating onto her already flushed skin.

"I'm not afraid, Seth, I'm not…" she whispered.

"I know," he said.

And their lips touched. The void that had hung between them was filled as two mouths pressed against each other. Everything had had been keeping them apart evaporated at that kiss. Words that had been left unspoken for far too long were screamed by the way his lips brushed against hers, the tension that had been holding them apart was released by the way his tongue gently edged her mouth open, and the pain that she had felt for him disappeared as his hands gently cupped her face and electric shocks pulsed through her body again. And she only realised how much she loved him when the kiss was broken and they pulled apart, and the only thing she could think of was how perfectly their lips fit together, and how much she wanted to kiss him again.

She could feel his deep brown eyes penetrate her face, and a tiny smile crossed her lips. She reached down once more to pat Charcoal, who started purring at the girls soft touch.

"She loves me…" said Summer softly, staring in wonder at the small, perfect animal.

She felt Seth's fingers tilt her chin up, and she was staring right into his eyes again. "So do I," he said, kissing her again.

She closed her eyes and let her lips melt into his, let her tongue dance in his mouth, all while the Charcoal coloured cat that brought them together purred in his lap.


End file.
